Madden Week 17 Sim: Moment too big or huge momentum for Cowboys

Madden Week 17 Sim: Moment too big or huge momentum for Cowboys

The Cowboys clinched their third NFC East championship in the last five years against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with one week to spare in the season. The question, as many playoff bound teams face in the final game of season, now becomes: who will play and rest?

For purposes of the simulation, CowboysWire removed the bulk of the starters at halftime to give a realistic view as to what could happen on Sunday. Zack Martin did not play and Connor Williams started in his place.

The New York Giants, although one of the bottom teams in 2018, are still competitive when it comes to the NFC East. If the Cowboys can win this game, it could be the perfect kick-starter to a playoff run. As usual we asked Madden what will happen on game-day.

Simulation recap

The Cowboys’ offense laid an egg in the first half — clearly not what the team needed as they looked to build momentum. Luckily for the Cowboys, there is a time-limit on how long Ezekiel Elliott can be shut down and it seemed the time was up in the second quarter. Number 21 ran for a 21-yard touchdown to get the Cowboys on the board, narrowing the Giants’ lead, 7-10.

On the Giants’ next possession after the Cowboys’ touchdown, Byron Jones would come up with his first interception of the season, giving the offense another chance to build momentum heading into the playoffs. Dak Prescott would connect with Elliott, just barely before Alec Ogletree was able to make a play, which allowed the Cowboys to take the lead 14-10. The Giants would add another field goal before the half, making the score 14-13.

As the second stringers came onto the field, the Cowboys did not take their foot off the gas pedal. Cooper Rush quickly established himself as a legitimate passing threat, starting with this 14-yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin to increase the Cowboys’ lead to 21-13.

The Cowboys would add another touchdown, this one to Allen Hurns, off of an Anthony Brown interception, improving their lead to 28-13. The Giants, though, would come roaring back and tie the game up at 28 with 55 seconds remaining. Rush, who had performed OK to this point, led the offense down the field and gave Brett Maher a chance to seal the game on a 49-yard field goal.

The Cowboys would go on to win 31-28, improving to 10-6 on the season. Next stop: playoffs.

Dak Prescott: 9/14 132 yards 1 TD

Cooper Rush: 14/23 145 yards 2 TD

Eli Manning: 20/37 288 yards 3 TD, 2 INT

Ezekiel Elliott: 6 car, 38 yards 1 TD

Rod Smith: 10 car, 41 yards

Saquon Barkley: 21 car, 88 yards

Amari Cooper: 4 rec, 53 yards

Tavon Austin: 4 rec, 42 yards 1 TD

Allen Hurns: 2 rec, 33 yards 1 TD

Blake Jarwin: 6 rec, 42 yards

Sterling Shepard: 6 rec, 111 yards 2 TD

Saquon Barkley: 4 rec, 35 yards 1 TD

Corey Coleman: 2 rec, 38 yards

Evan Engram: 7 rec, 104 yards

Cowboys defense: 2 interceptions, 5 sacks

New York defense: 1 sack

Gallery

Cowboys Week 17 Player Power Rankings

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